Feathering-blade paddle-wheel.



No. 88 .825. PATENTED APH. 24, 1906. J. A. HICKS. FEATHBRING BLADE PADDLE WHEEL.

APPLIOA'I'ION FILED SEPT.22.1904.

2 SHEETS-S'EEET Z.

UNITED sTATEs PATENT oEEIoE.

.T all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES AMERS HICKS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Atlanta, in the county of Fulton andState of Georgia, have invented new and Auseful Improvementsfn Feathering-Blade Paddle- Wheels, of which the following is a specification. 4 My invention has relation to new'and uset'ul improvements in paddle-wheels 'for the propulsion of water-craft, and more especial y to addle-wheels of that 'character or type in w lich the paddles or blades are constructed to feather or told to assume a position of least resistance -at such points of their travel as are not effective for the propulsion of the vessel.

Before entering upon a statement of the objects of my invention and a descri tion of its present mechanical embodiment would state that in my experience I have lnoted that it is a common fault among the majority of featherine-blade paddle-wheels which have come un( er my observationfthat they cannot be effectively revolved at a high s eed owing to the troughing or channeling o the water in the path of the wheel incident to the rapid movement of the paddles, so that au increased s )eed of" revolution beyond a certain point dloes not result in any increased speed of the vessel. This is duc to the fact that in the revolution of the wheel the blades at the deepest point ol sulnnergence travel a't a higher speed than those just entering the water and form a trough or channel which prevents sutlicient density of the water in the path ol the advance paddles to ntl'ord enough resistance to said )addles to render their initial passage into t 1e water ell'eetiv'e to propel the vessel. i

lt has also been demonstrated that under the existing structures when an ordinary speed is being maintained a propelling force is not obtained commensurate to the power.

eX )ended to drive thc wheel, and this dilliunity is due to the fact that the paddles which are just entering and leaving the water travel ata-less speed than those which are at the deepest oint ot subnwrgcnec, resulting in a rctarding ell`cct upon the paddles which are in iosition to most ell'cetively propel thcvessel.

The purpose ot my invention is therefore to overcome th'e above-slated objections orl Specication of Letters Patent. Application Sled September 22. 1904. Serial No. 225,404.

Patented Apri; 24, 190e.l

defects, and the primary object desired to be attained by the mechanical embodiment of the invention to be described hereinafter is to so construct the wheels and paddles associated therewith as to maintain for all of the paddles submerged a mean horizontal velocity which will be uniform for all of the paddles from the time of entering the water to the time of leaving it.

A further object is to construct a featherblade paddle-wheel in which all of the paddles have a positive propelling force at all points of submergence.

The invention consists in providing in combination with a featheringblade paddlewheel means to regulate the movements and positions of theblades with relation to cach other, so that at all points of submergence all of the, addles submerged will have a mean Ihorizonta velocity.

I overcome the defects above stated and accomplish the objects mentioned by the stmcture to be more fully described hereinafter and the novelty of which will be particularly pointed out and distinctly claimed.

I have fully and clearly illustrated my invention in the accompanying drawiiws, to be taken as pa rt of this specification, am wherein Figure l vis a central transverse vertical section through a paddle-wheel embodying my invention. Fie. 2 vation thereof, antFig. 3 is a diagrammatic view in elevation for the purpose of clearly demonstrating the operation of the paddle` blades in accomplishing the objects of the invention;

Referring to the drawings, 1 1 designate horizontally disposed sup )orting beams upon which the paddle-wlwei is mounted for operation. These beams may be of anyprcferred construction and are rigidly secured at the inner ends thereof to the stern of thc vessel, a space being left between said beams in v which the wheel is arranged and revolves.

Located upon each of the beams 1 1 is a bearing 2, said bearings being arranged in aliuemeut with each other and of any suitable construction. Journalcd in these bearings .2 is a horizontally-disposed wheel-shaf t 3, upon which the paddle-wheel is carried. This wheel-shaft 3 is provided at each of its ends with a crank 4, which is connected in is a view in front clelOO los

any suitable manner to the engine or other any now known t0 me, without any loss of power incident to the troughing, splashing, and lift of the Water.

cam engagingsaid lever-arms, said t Ln im ring an elliptical portion the foei oi" which are on a vertical line passing centrally through What I claim is" the Wheel-shaft, one focus being distant troni 5 l. The combination with a Wheel, pivotl the lowest Doint of the Wheel twice the length s ally-mounted blades carried thereb each l of one of the lever-arms, the other locns t ade having a member connected t creto, ing vertically distant a length varying inand means engaging the members during the versely with the mean depth ol' sul imngence rotation ofthe Wheel to move said members of the padd1e-blades, the radii vectores be- Io to progressively swing said blades on their 111g 1n sum equal to the focal distance ingc pivots in such a manner that all of the blades creased bytwice the difference of the distance submerged travel at the same mean velocity between the radius of the wheel and the at all oints of submergence. length of the lever-arm.

e combination of a wheel, ivotally- In testimony whereot` I have signed nl v I5 mounted blades carried thereby, a ever-arm i connected to each blade and means for actuanle to this specification in the presence oi' 3" D J two subscribing witnesses. ating said arms to swing the blades on their JAMES AMERS limi-QS. pivots so that all of the blades submerged Witnesses: travel at the same mean velocity at all points M. L. CLIFTON, zo of submergence, said means consisting of a F. H. HILL. 

